Rising Dawn: Book 1 in the Adventures of YewClan
by Nightingpaw
Summary: When two kittypets, Skylar and Maple, venture into the forest, they didn't expect an encounter with forest-dwelling cats. Now, taking sanctuary in YewClan, the two sisters must save their clan from danger, or face the music: without their help, YewClan will cease to exist.
1. Prologue

A muscular tortoiseshell she-cat stood over the limp body of Windflight, fur caked with scarlet splotches.

"ThornClan!" the tortoiseshell yowled to the azure sky, anger rising inside of her chest. "You will pay for the murder of our deputy!" There was the faint sound of rustling leaves and gentle pawsteps.

"Magmastar?" a sweet-as-honey voice cooed.

"Dryadpaw, my faithful medicine cat apprentice," Magmastar meowed gently. "Has StarClan spoken?"

"No, m'lady," Dryadpaw meowed. "Stormstar has claimed that ThornClan warriors did _not _kill Windflight."

"Stormstar," Magmastar whispered, her voice tainted with sorrow and regret. Dryadpaw couldn't help but thinking there was an edge of longing that sneaked its way inside her leader's tone.

"We'd better get back to camp," Dryadpaw suggested shakily.

"_No!_" Magmastar hissed, her voice unusually aggressive. She declared with a more gentle tone, "Since Moon Falls is downstream from the river that marks the border between YewClan and ThornClan, we shall travel there tomorrow at dawn."

"We must make it back before any of our warriors notice."

"That is why we must get up before Bellwish, you mentor awakes. She's an early riser." Without waiting for a reply, Magmastar exited the blood-sodden clearing. She extended her pleasingly slender legs in long strides as she bounded towards camp. She knew she was close when the snow began to fall in heavier amounts. Her eyes flitted from pine tree to pine as the crystalline river came into view. She climbed slowly up the inclined slope that led up to Moon Falls. When she reached flat ground, she sped up. Magmastar wasn't even sure if Dryadpaw was following.

"Change of plans. We're going right now," she hissed, almost inaudibly. It wasn't long before she found the laurels and grasses that were the Moon Garden. She shifted her view to the side a bit. There it was. Frothy white water sloshed over the ashen gray rocks, plummeting down the grassy slope. Standing before Magmastar, in all its glory, was Moon Falls.


	2. Chapter 1

"Hey Maple!" a white she-cat with electric blue eyes called. "Let's go exploring! This garden is _sooo _boring!"

"I dunno, Skylar," a light fawn tabby meowed worriedly from across the twoleg's catmint garden.

"Quit being such a worrywart!" Skylar meowed nonchalantly.

"Um... Okay," Maple meowed, uneasiness creeping into her voice. "But if we get in trouble, I'm blaming you."

"Great!" Skylar meowed quickly, dashing into the nearby forest, the silver bell at the end of her sky blue collar jangling.

"Hey, wait up!" Maple called, bounding after her sister. When Maple finally caught up with Skylar, she was in a grassy clearing surrounded by pine trees on all sides. The only exits were the way that they came and a small, trampled path in the opposite direction, the north. Maple could tell it had been recently used. That's when she noticed it. The clear moonlight brought many dark spots of red into view. The unmistakable metallic scent of blood, mingled with the fresh scent of feline rushed into the sister's rosy-pink nostrils.

"Skylar!" Maple yowled hysterically. "What's up with all the blood?!"

"You have nothing to fear."

"W-what was that?" Maple whispered to Skylar.

"No reason to be scared, wuss," Skylar jested.

"Hush, young ones." The subdued voice rang out into the clearing once more. Skylar could only barely hear light, trained pawsteps gracefully treading across the flattened grass, wet with dew. She immediately jerked around. Before her was a gray and white spotted she-cat with a slight build and banana yellow irises.

"I am Thorntail," she meowed firmly, "Deputy of YewClan."

"What's YewClan?" Skylar piped up. Maple was giving her the _warning _look.

"YewClan is a group of cats who dwell in an alpine forest and mountain where it snows heavily. We were named for the yew bushes that flourish around our territory. There are three other clans bordering YewClan: HeatherClan, clan of the heights, ThornClan, clan of the forest, and RoseClan, clan of the grove. They were formed moons before I, or even Magmastar was born. Recently, we had a battle with ThornClan. Snobs. Supposedly started over stolen kits. Right. Anyways, many warriors perished in that battle, the Battle of Bloody Peak."

"Cool! Can we join?" Skylar asked.

"If you wish to join," Thorntail continued, "Then battle me!"

"No way!" Maple hissed. There was no amount of training that could prepare Maple for this moment. Thorntail leapt, diamond-hard claws outstretched, towards the plump she-cat. She swiftly pinned her down.

"I give up!" Maple relented. She heard a faint growling noise from behind her as Thorntail released her.

The threat erupted from Skylar's mouth one second later. "No one messes with my sis!"

Skylar leapt at Thorntail, but the well trained warrior was ready. She sidestepped and pinned Skylar down as she did Maple.

Skylar squirmed and hissed until Thorntail released her.

"You did well." A mature voice emerged from the shadows, along with a gorgeous tortoiseshell feline. "Thorntail, take them to camp."

Thorntail bowed her head, a sign of respect, and padded towards the north exit without a word. Skylar bounded after her without question.

"Sis!" Maple complained. "Wait up!"

And so began their journey in the wild.


End file.
